DOHA: Pakistan’s Mohammad Asif launched his Asian Snooker Championship campaign with a commanding 4-1 [61-52, 39-79(61), 102(51)-15, 57-36, 80-52] victory over Jordan’s Tamer Elmasri in the group stage on Saturday.

The reigning national champion, seeking continental glory, wasted little time asserting his dominance. After a tight opening frame, Asif found his rhythm, crafting a break of 51 in the third frame to take control before sealing a straightforward win.

The result marks a strong opening statement from the three-time IBSF world champion, who leads a four-player Pakistani contingent at the championships. The event, which also features women’s and junior categories, runs until Feb 6.

Asif is competing in a 43-player men’s field divided into 11 round-robin groups. The top two finishers from each group will advance to a last-22 knockout round, where the 10 best group winners will receive a direct bye to the prequarter-finals.

Asif’s team-mates, national runner-up Rana Irfan Mahmood, Asian U-21 bronze medallist Ahsan Ramzan and IBSF U-17 champion Hasnain Akhtar — are expected to begin their group stage matches in the coming days.

Published in Dawn, February 1st, 2026